Safety briefing - overhead lines

This briefing provides essential information to workers on overhead lines safely.

What’s covered?

The aim of this Safety Briefing - Overhead Lines is to inform workers of the risks and the actions they must take to protect themselves and others.

Reasons for concern

Accidental contact or arcing can occur, for example, if you come into contact or even work closely with cranes, tipper trucks, other tall plant, scaffold tubes, ladders and jets of water. Contact or arcing can kill.

Control measures

The briefing describes a range of precautions which workers must apply including adherence to warning signs and barriers.

Key points

The key points at the end of the briefing remind staff that:

• “The lines can be dangerous even if they are insulated and where there is no actual contact. Electricity can arc to conductive materials in close proximity.
• Comply with site rules on work close to overhead lines, being especially wary when your work involves the use of ladders, scaffold poles (and similar), tipper trucks and tall or extending plant.
• Never work or store materials in an exclusion area.
• In the event of a line strike you may be better to stay in your vehicle. If you must get out jump out as far as you can. Be aware that touching anything in contact with lines or the ground around it, could give you an electric shock.”